[Study of proanthocyanidin promotes osteogenic differentiation of human periodontal ligament stem cells through the transcription factor EB-induced autophagy-lysosome pathway]

Objective: To investigate the mechanism of proanthocyanidin (PA) in regulating the osteogenic differentiation of human periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs), and to explore the effects of PA on the expression and nuclear translocation of transcription factor EB (TFEB) and on the autophagy-lysosome pathway. Methods: PDLSCs were divided into control group and PA group, which were subjected to RNA sequencing analysis (RNA Seq) to detect differentially expressed genes. The osteogenic differentiation ability and autophagy level were observed by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) analysis, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining and transmission electron microscope (TEM), respectively. Scratch assay and Transwell assay were used to detect the migration ability of PDLSCs. Lysotracker and immunofluorescence staining were used to detect the biogenesis of lysosomes. The total protein expression of transcription factor EB (TFEB) as well as that in cytoplasm and nucleus were detected by Western blotting. Confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) was used to observe the nuclear translocation of TFEB. The PDLSCs were treated with small interfering RNA (siRNA) technology to knock down the expression levels of TFEB gene with or without PA treatment. Western blotting was used to analyze the expressions of autophagy-related proteins Beclin1 and microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3B), as well as osteogenic-related proteins runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2), ALP, and osteocalcin in PDLSCs. Results: Compared with the control group, the osteogenic-related and autophagy-related genes showed differential expression in PDLSCs after PA treatment (P<0.05). The mRNA expression levels of osteogenic-related genes RUNX2 (2.32±0.15) and collagen type Ⅰ alpha 1(COL1α1) (1.80±0.18), as well as the autophagy related genes LC3B (1.87±0.08) and Beclin1 (1.63±0.08) were significantly increased in the PA group, compared with the control group (1.01±0.16, 1.00±0.10, 1.00±0.07, 1.00±0.06, respectively, all P<0.001). Compared with the control group, the PA group had higher ALP activity, and more autophagosomes and autophagolysosomes observed by TEM. PA promoted the migration of PDLSCs (P<0.05) and the number of lysosomes and the expression of lysosomal associated membrane protein 1 (LAMP1) increased. In the PA group, the relative expression level of total TFEB protein (1.49±0.07) and the nuclear/cytoplasmic expression of TFEB protein (1.52±0.12) were significantly higher than the control group (1.00±0.11, 1.00±0.13, respectively) (t=6.43, P<0.01; t=5.07, P<0.01). The relative nuclear/cytoplasmic fluorescence intensity of TFEB in the PA group (0.79±0.90) increased compared with the control group (0.11±0.08) (t=3.49, P<0.01). Knocking down TFEB significantly reduced the expression of TFEB (1.00±0.15 vs 0.64±0.04), LAMP1 (1.00±0.10 vs 0.69±0.09), Beclin1 (1.00±0.05 vs 0.60±0.05), and LC3B Ⅱ/Ⅰ (1.00±0.06 vs 0.73±0.07) in PDLSCs (P<0.05, P<0.05, P<0.01, P<0.01). When TFEB gene was knocked down, the expression levels of Beclin1 (1.05±0.11), LC3B Ⅱ/Ⅰ (1.02±0.09), RUNX2 (1.04±0.10), ALP (1.04±0.16), and osteocalcin (1.03±0.15) proteins were significantly decreased in the PA group compared with the pre-knockdown period (1.28±0.03, 1.44±0.11, 1.38±0.11, 1.62±0.11, 1.65±0.17, respectively) (P<0.05, P<0.01, P<0.05, P<0.01, and P<0.01, respectively). Conclusions: PA promotes the osteogenic differentiation of PDLSCs through inducing the expression and nuclear translocation of TFEB and activating the autophagy-lysosome pathway.

[Evaluation of semicircular canal and otolith graviceptive pathway function in patients diagnosed with motion sickness disorder based on the diagnostic criteria of the Bárány society]

Objective: To investigate the altered function of the semicircular canal and otolith graviceptive pathway in patients diagnosed with motion sickness disorder (MSD) based on the diagnostic criteria of the Bárány society, and explore its relevance to the pathogenesis of MSD. Methods: This is a case-control study. Twenty patients with MSD and age-and sex-matched healthy controls without a history of MSD from the Department of Neurology of Aerospace Center Hospital between March and August 2022 were recruited. All subjects completed the motion sickness susceptibility questionnaire-short version (MSSQ-short) and the motion sickness assessment questionnaire (MSAQ). Canal function was evaluated using caloric stimulation test and video head impulse test (vHIT), and subjective visual vertical/horizontal (SVV/SVH) and vestibular evoked myogenic potential (VEMP) were employed to assess otolith graviceptive function. Differences in vestibular function and correlations between the two groups were analyzed. Results: Each group consisted of 20 cases (9 males and 11 females). The mean age of the MSD and control groups was (26.9±3.9) years and (27.0±3.4) years, respectively. The scores of MSSQ-short [27.0 (22.5, 38.8) vs 1.2 (0, 3.2), P<0.001] and MSAQ [70.1 (54.5, 78.1) vs 11.8 (11.1, 13.9), P<0.001] were significantly higher in the MSD group compared with those of the control group. Evaluation of canal function revealed a significantly higher incidence of caloric stimulation intolerance in MSD patients (60.0%, 12/20) compared with that of the control group (20.0%, 4/20) (P=0.010). Evaluation of otolith graviceptive pathway indicated no significant difference in SVV, SVH and cervical VEMP (cVEMP) abnormality rates between the two groups (all P>0.05). The ocular VEMP (oVEMP) abnormality rate was significantly higher in the MSD group (55.0%, 11/20) than that of the control group (10.0%, 2/20) (P=0.002), with a delayed P1-wave latency compared with the control group [(18.4±1.2) ms vs (17.6±0.8) ms, P=0.018]. Further correlation analysis revealed that P1-wave latency in oVEMP was positively correlated with MSSQ-short (r=0.486, P=0.002) and MSAQ (r=0.391, P=0.015) scores, and duration of caloric intolerance symptoms (r=0.377, P=0.004). Conclusion: The presence of hypersensitivity to caloric stimulation and delayed latency of otolith function in patients with MSD suggests a "separation" between semicircular canal and otolithic function, which may be related to sensory conflict.

[Analysis of transfusion effect of different platelet matching schemes in patients with platelet transfusion refractoriness]

Objective: To analyze the transfusion effect of different platelet matching schemes in patients with platelet transfusion refractoriness (PTR). Methods: A total of 94 patients with PTR received by Taiyuan Blood Center from January to December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed, including 26 males and 68 females, aged 53(34,66) years. Platelet antibody screening was performed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). For patients with positive human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class Ⅰ antibodies, Luminex platform liquid chip assay was used to identify the specificity of antibodies, and platelets with missing allelic expression antigen corresponding to their specific antibodies were found in the platelet donor gene database established in our laboratory. For patients with negative class HLA-Ⅰ antibody screening, medium and high-resolution HLA-A and B alleles were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction restriction sequence specific oligonucleotide (PCR-SSO), and the compatible platelets were searched from the platelet donor gene database by HLA cross-reactive group genotype matching scheme or directly selected by serological cross-matching. The PCI compliance rate and total transfusion effective rate of different mismatch site groups and different matching scheme groups were statistically analyzed. Results: Platelet antibody was detected in 39 of 94 PTR patients with a positive rate of 41.5%, and all of them were HLA-Ⅰ antibodies, and 1 case was accompanied by human platelet antigen (HPA) antibody. A total of 134 times of compatible platelets were supplied to 39 patients with HLA-Ⅰ antibody positive by using antibody avoidance matching method. And the total effective rate of transfusion was 97.8% (131/134); The PCI compliance rates of HLA-A antigen mismatch, HLA-B antigen mismatch and HLA-A and B antigen mismatch groups were 81.6% (31/38), 86.5% (32/37) and 78.6% (22/28), respectively. The total effective rate of transfusion was 97.4% (37/38), 94.6% (35/37) and 100% (28/28), respectively, with no statistical significance (all P>0.05). A total of 118 times of compatible platelets were provided by HLA antigen cross-reaction group genotype matching and serological cross-matching, 90 transfusion effects were collected during follow-up, and the total effective rate was 76.7% (69/90). Conclusion: The combination of different platelet matching schemes can improve the PCI compliance rate and the total effective rate of transfusion in PTR patients.

Genetic evidence on the causality between gut microbiota and various asthma phenotypes: a two-sample Mendelian randomization study

Introduction

Asthma is a multifarious disease that manifests in various phenotypes. Among the various factors that contribute to the development of asthma, the gut microbiota has recently emerged as a compelling area of investigation. This study aims to investigate the causal relationships between gut microbiota and distinct asthma phenotypes.

Methods

The genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics for 211 gut microbial taxa were used as study exposure. Five traits pertaining to various asthma phenotypes (asthma, allergic asthma, childhood asthma, suggestive for eosinophilic asthma and obesity-related asthma) were included as study outcome. We conducted Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis and sensitivity analysis for each bacterial taxa and asthma phenotypes.

Result

We discovered a total of 58 associations that exhibited evidence of causality. Out of these, 4 associations remained significant even after applying multiple correction. An increased risk of asthma was causally associated with higher abundance of genus Holdemanella (OR = 1.11; CI: 1.05-1.17; p = 0.027), genus Oxalobacter (OR = 1.09; CI: 1.04-1.15; p = 0.025) and genus Butyricimonas (OR = 1.14; CI: 1.06-1.22; p = 0.027). Order NB1n was causally linked with an increased risk of obesity-related asthma (OR = 1.17; CI: 1.07-1.29; p = 0.015). There was limited overlap among the taxa that exhibited potential causal relationships with distinct asthma phenotypes.

Conclusion

Our research has provided genetic evidence that establishes multiple causal relationships between the gut microbiota and distinct asthma phenotypes, supporting the role of the gut microbiota in various asthma phenotypes. It is possible that different taxa play a role in the development of distinct asthma phenotypes. The causal relationships identified in this study require further investigation.

[Clinicopathological study of epithelioid and spindle cell rhabdomysarcoma with EWSR1/FUS-TFCP2 fusion]

Objective: To investigate the clinicopathological and genetic features of epithelioid and spindle cell rhabdomysarcoma with EWSR1-TFCP2 or FUS-TFCP2 fusion. Methods: The clinical, morphological and immunohistochemical features of 14 cases of epithelioid and spindle cell rhabdomysarcoma with EWSR1-TFCP2 or FUS-TFCP2 fusion diagnosed from January 2019 to December 2022 in the Department of Pathology, Foshan Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Foshan, China were retrospectively analyzed. The cases were all subject to FISH or next generation sequencing for analysis of molecular genetic features. The literature was reviewed. Results: There were 5 males and 9 females, with the age at presentation ranging from 6 to 36 years (mean, 22 years). Tumors occurred in the head and neck (9 cases), pelvic region (2 cases), bladder (one case), right humerus (one case), and the abdominal wall, humerus and pubic at the same time (one case). Presenting symptoms varied by location but often included pain or discomfort. Most of the patients showed aggressive radiographic features with soft tissue extension. The tumors had a median size of 6.6 cm (range, 2-23 cm). The tumors were poorly defined and irregularly shaped. Microscopic examination showed diffuse proliferation of spindle or epithelioid cells. While morphologically high-grade tumors displayed obvious cytological atypia, a high mitotic count and tumor necrosis, low-grade tumors grew in sheets and fascicles composed of spindle, epithelioid cells with moderate or abundant amounts of eosinophilic cytoplasm, without pronounced cytological atypia. The tumor cells expressed Desmin, MyoD1, and Myogenin, as well as ALK, EMA, and CKpan. EWSR1/FUS-TFCP2 gene fusion was detected in 14 cases with next generation sequencing and confirmed by FISH. Six cases had EWSR1-TFCP2 fusions and 8 cases showed FUS-TFCP2 fusions. Follow-up information was available in 13 patients, ranged from 5 to 37 months. At the end of follow-up period, 7 patients died of the disease. Six patients were alive:two cases had local recurrences and metastases, two cases of recurrences, one case of metastasis and one case without recurrences and metastasis. Conclusions: Epithelioid and spindle cell rhabdomysarcomas with EWSR1-TFCP2 or FUS-TFCP2 fusion show a very aggressive clinical course, and more commonly occur in the head and neck. Their genetic hallmark is the presence of EWSR1/FUS-TFCP2 fusions. Familiarity with its clinicopathological characteristics is helpful in avoiding misdiagnoses.

[Situational analysis of periodontal disease burden for adults in China from 1990 to 2019 and its incidence trend prediction]

Objective: To analyze the burden and changing trends of periodontal disease in adults of the mainland of China from 1990 to 2019, and to predict the incidence trends of periodontal disease in the next 25 years, with a goal to provide a basis for reducing the burden of periodontal disease and formulating relevant prevention and treatment measures. Methods: Data on the incidence, prevalence, and disability adjusted life years (DALY) rate of periodontal disease among adults in the mainland of China from 1990 to 2019 were extracted from the global burden of disease study 2019 (GBD 2019) database. The estimated annual percent change (EAPC) was used to estimate the temporal trend of periodontal disease, and the age-period-cohort model (APC) was used to predict the age-standardized incidence of periodontal disease in Chinese adults from 2020 to 2044. Results: From 1990 to 2019, the incidence, prevalence, and DALY rate of adult periodontal disease in the mainland of China showed an increasing trend, with EAPCs of 0.3 (95%CI: 0.1-0.6), 0.5 (95%CI: 0.1-0.8), and 0.5 (95%CI: 0.1-0.8), respectively. The incidence and prevalence of periodontitis among the population aged 35-39 years old and 40-44 years old increased the most significantly, with EAPCs of 0.8 and 0.7, respectively, whereas the change in periodontal disease prevalence tended to be stable and the increase trend in prevalence was lower in the elderly group (EAPC=0.4). The incidence (EAPC=2.1), prevalence (EAPC=2.6) and DALY rate (EAPC=2.6) of periodontal disease in females increased more than those in males (EAPC=1.9, 2.4, and 2.4, respectively), of which the prevalence had exceeded that of males in 2019. The APC model predicted that the prevalence of periodontal disease in the period of 2020-2044 in China would still be on an upward trend, and the increase rate would be higher in females than in males. Conclusions: The burden of periodontal disease among adults in China had been increasing over the past 30 years, especially among young and middle-aged adults as well as females, and the incidence of periodontal disease will continue to increase over the next 25 years.

[Humanized anti-CD25 monoclonal antibody as a salvage therapy for steroid-refractory acute graft-versus-host disease after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation]

Objective: To investigate the efficacy of humanized anti-CD25 monoclonal antibody for steroid-refractory acute graft-versus-host disease (SR-aGVHD) in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) recipients. Methods: A total of 64 patients with SR-aGVHD between June 2019 and October 2020 in Suchow Hopes Hematology Hospital were enrolled in this study. Humanized anti-CD25 monoclonal antibodies 1 mg·kg(-1)·d(-1) were administered on days 1, 3, and 8, and then once per week according to the disease progression. Efficacy was assessed at days 7, 14, and 28 after humanized anti-CD 25 treatment. Results: Of the 64 patients with a median age of 31 (15-63) years, 38 (59.4%) were male and 26 (40.6%) were female. The overall response (OR) rate of the humanized CD25 monoclonal antibody in 64 patients with SR-aGVHD on days 7, 14, and 28 were 48.4% (31/64), 53.1% (34/64), and 79.7% (51/64), respectively. Liver involvement is an independent risk factor for poor efficacy of humanized CD25 monoclonal antibody for SR-aGVHD at day 28 (OR=9.588, 95% CI 0.004-0.291, P=0.002). The median follow-up time for all patients was 17.1 (0.2-50.8) months from the start of humanized CD25 monoclonal antibody therapy. The 1- and 2-year OS rates were 63.2% (95% CI 57.1% -69.3%) and 52.6% (95% CI 46.1% -59.1%), respectively. The 1- and 2-year DFS rates were 58.4% (95% CI 52.1% -64.7%) and 49.8% (95% CI 43.4% -56.2%), respectively. The 1- and 2-year NRM rates were 28.8% (95% CI 23.1% -34.5%) and 32.9% (95% CI 26.8% -39.0%), respectively. The results of the multifactorial analysis showed that liver involvement (OR=0.308, 95% CI 0.108-0.876, P=0.027) and GVHD grade Ⅲ/Ⅳ (OR=9.438, 95% CI 1.211-73.577, P=0.032) were independent risk factors for OS. Conclusion: Humanized CD25 monoclonal antibody has good efficacy and safety for SR-aGVHD. This study shows that SR-aGVHD with pretreatment grade Ⅲ/Ⅳ GVHD and GVHD involving the liver has poor efficacy and prognosis and requires early intervention.

[Distribution characteristics of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes in EBV-associated lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma and their clinical significance]

Objective: To investigate the association between the distribution of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) in EBV associated lymphoepitheliomatoid carcinoma (LELC) and the pathological subtypes of LELC, as well as the clinical significance of TIL distribution. Methods: The LELC patients with sufficient tumor tissues, complete clinical data and positive EBER, who visited Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou, China from January 2006 to October 2018, were selected. Various immunohistochemical markers (CD20, CD138, CD4, CD8, CD56 and FOXP3) were examined for TIL typing. Two pathologists reviewed the hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining sections and interpreted the immunohistochemical results. Correlation analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between the distribution of TIL subgroups and LELC's pathological characteristics. Survival analyses were conducted to study the prognostic values of TIL subgrouping. Results: A total of 102 patients with EBV related LELC were included. 46 of them were classic LELC (c-LELC) with rich interstitial TIL, and 56 were non-classic LELC (n-LELC) with relatively fewer interstitial TIL. The results of TIL analysis showed that all subtypes of c-LELC were rich in TIL, with B lymphocytes as the dominant subgroup. The number of TIL in n-LELC was fewer than that in c-LELC, with T lymphocytes as the dominant subgroup. There was no significant difference in the distribution of plasma cells between the two groups. Survival analysis showed that the total number of TIL, and the infiltrations of CD20⁺B cells, CD4⁺T cells, and FOXP3⁺Treg cells were associated with better overall survivals (P=0.004, 0.003, 0.008 and 0.025, respectively) and disease-free survivals (P=0.011, 0.003, 0.038 and 0.041, respectively) in patients with LELC. Conclusions: The morphologic subtypes of EBV-related LELC have different tumor immune characteristics. The total number of TIL in the stroma of c-LELC is significantly higher than that of n-LELC. Interestingly, B lymphocytes are the dominant TIL in c-LELC, while T lymphocytes are the dominant TIL in n-LELC. The infiltration of TIL, CD20⁺B cells, CD4⁺T cells and FOXP3⁺Treg cells in LELC may suggest a better prognosis.

[Clinical and prognostic characteristics of REM sleep related obstructive sleep apnea in children]

Objective: To analyze the clinical and prognostic characteristics of rapid eye movement sleep related obstructive sleep apnea (REM-OSA) in children. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of 62 children aged from 2 to 14 years who were admitted to Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University from December 2017 to April 2021, diagnosed with moderate to severe OSA by polysomnography monitoring (PSG), underwent adenoid tonsillectomy, and completed follow-up 6 months after surgery. There were 45 males (72.6%) and 17 females (27.4%). The age range was 2.0-12.3 years. All children completed the clinical data collection, PSG, OSA-18 quality of life questionnaire and Children's Sleep questionnaire-sleep related breathing disorder subscale at baseline. PSG and OSA-18 quality of life questionnaire were reexamined at 6 months after surgery. Children were divided into REM-OSA group (33 cases) and non-REM-OSA group (29 cases) according to whether the obstructive apnea-hypopnea index (OAHI) during rapid eye movement sleep and OAHI during non-rapid eye movement sleep ratio was≥2. Baseline PSG parameters and scale scores, 6-month postoperative cure rate and OSA-18 quality of life questionnaire scores of the 2 groups were compared, and statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 23.0 software. Results: There were no significant differences in age, sex, body mass index, neck circumference/height ratio, overweight or obesity, history of disease, tonsil and adenoid size between the two groups (all P>0.05). Compared with non-REM-OSA group, REM-OSA group had higher oxygen desaturation index and proportion of SpO2<90% of total sleep time (Z=-2.723, P=0.006;Z=-3.414; P=0.001 respectively), and lower SpO2 nadir (Z=-3.957, P<0.001). The proportion of obstructive apnea in total respiratory events (related to anatomical factors) in REM-OSA group was higher than that in non-REM-OSA group (t=2.840, P=0.006). However, the proportion of central apnea in total respiratory events and arousal index (related to functional factors) in REM-OSA group was lower than that in non-REM-OSA group (t=-2.597, P=0.012;Z=-2.956, P=0.003), and there were no significant differences in other PSG parameters between the two groups (all P>0.05). There was an interaction effect between the two groups in the change trend of OSA cure rate at 6 months after surgery under different baseline OAHI (χ2=4.282, P=0.039). Conclusions: The weight of anatomic factors and functional factors in the etiology of children with REM-OSA and non-REM OSA was different, and the postoperative OSA cure rate of children with different baseline OAHI changed in reverse trend.

[Pathogenic characterization of Klebsiella pneumoniae resistant to carbapenems and polymyxin]

Objective: Analysis and investigation of pathogenic characteristics of polymyxin-and carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (PR-CRKP). Methods: A total of 23 PR-CRKP strains isolated from clinical specimens from the General Hospital of Southern Theater Command from March 2019 to July 2021 were retrospectively collected, Whole-genome sequencing was performed on 23 PR-CRKP strains, resistance genes were identified by comparison of the CARD and the ResFinder database, high-resolution typing of PR-CRKP strains was analyzed by core genomic multilocus sequencing (cgMLST) and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP); polymyxin resistance genes were determined by PCR and sequencing. Results: All PR-CRKP strains were KPC-2 producing ST11 types. cgMLST results showed that the evolutionary distance between the PR-CRKP strains and Klebsiella pneumoniae in mainland China was 66.44 on average, which is more closely related than foreign strains; the 23 PR-CRKP strains were divided into 3 main subclusters based on SNP phylogenetic trees, with some aggregation among Clade 2-1 in the isolation department and date. The two-component negative regulatory gene mgrB has seven mutation types including point mutations, different insertion fragments and different insertion positions. Conclusion: The close affinity of PR-CRKP strains indicate the possibility of nosocomial clonal transmission and the need to strengthen surveillance of PR-CRKP strains to prevent epidemic transmission of PR-CRKP.

[Scoping review of progress in cohort studies of autism spectrum disorder]

Objective: To understand the status of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) cohort studies and explore the feasibility of constructing ASD disease-specific cohorts based on real-world data (RWD). Methods: ASD cohort studies published by December 2022 were collected by literature retrieval from major Chinese and English databases. And the characteristics of the cohort were summarized. Results: A total of 1 702 ASD cohort studies were included, and only 60 (3.53%) were from China. A total of 163 ASD-related cohorts were screened, of which 55.83% were birth cohorts, 28.22% were ASD-specific cohorts, and 4.91% were ASD high-risk cohorts. Most cohorts used RWD such as hospital registries or conducted community-based field surveys to obtain participant information and identified patients with ASD by scales or clinical diagnoses. The contents of the studies included ASD incidence and prognostic risk factors, ASD comorbidity patterns and the impact of ASD on self-health and their offspring's health. Conclusions: ASD cohort studies in developed countries have been in the advanced stage, while the Chinese studies are still in their infancy. RWD provides the data basis for ASD-specific cohort construction and offers new opportunities for research, but work such as case validation is still needed to ensure the scientific nature of cohort construction.

ROS induced the Rab26 promoter hypermethylation to promote cigarette smoking-induced airway epithelial inflammation of COPD through activation of MAPK signaling

Cigarette smoking (CS) exposure-induced airway inflammatory responses drive the occurrence and development of emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, its precise mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. In this study, we explore the role of Rab26 in CS exposure modulating the inflammatory response of airway epithelium and the novel mechanism of CS exposure regulation Rab26. These data showed that CS exposure and H₂O₂ (a type of ROS) suppressed the expression of Rab26 and increased the expression of DNMT3b in vivo and in vitro. GEO data analysis found the level of Rab26 was decreased in the lung tissue of COPD patients. CSE-induced ROS promoted DNA methylation of the Rab26 promoter and inhibited its promoter activity by elevating the DNMT3b level. Antioxidants N-Acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC), 5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-AZA) (DNA methylation inhibitor) and DNMT3B siRNA alleviated CSE's inhibitory effect on Rab26 expression in vitro. Importantly, NAC alleviated the improved expression of Rab26 and reduced DNMT3B expression, in the airway of smoking exposure as well as attenuated the inflammatory response in vivo. Overexpression of Rab26 attenuated CSE-induced production of inflammatory mediators through part inactivation of p38 and JNK MAPK. On the contrary, silencing Rab26 enhanced p38 and JNK activation and aggravated inflammatory response. These findings suggest that ROS-mediated Rab26 promoter hypermethylation is a critical step in cigarette smoking-induced airway epithelial inflammatory response. Restoring Rab26 in the airway epithelium might be a potential strategy for treating airway inflammation and COPD.

[A case of sclerocornea combined with open-angle glaucoma]

A patient complained of progressive visual acuity decline in the left eye for 3 years was admitted. The appearance of the patient was bilateral microcornea. After ocular ultrasonography, ultrasound biomicroscopy, etc, the patient was diagnosed as sclerocornea of the left eye with open-angle glaucoma. Trabeculectomy of the left eye was performed after drug treatment failed, and there were no surgical complications. The intraocular pressure of the left eye was normal and the anterior chamber was well formed 6 months after surgery.

[Relationship between onco-immunological and morphologic characteristics of lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma and lymphocyte subtypes of peripheral blood]

Objective: To study the relationship between the onco-immunological and morphologic characteristics of lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma (LELC) and peripheral blood lymphocyte subtypes and its clinical significance. Methods: The pathologic and clinical data of 117 LELC patients who were admitted to the Tumor Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences from 2006 to 2018 were collected. The histological classification was based on previously reported morphological classification method. The onco-immunological and morphologic characteristics of the tumors such as lymphoid follicle formation and interstitial fibrous hyperplasia, patient's peripheral blood lymphocyte subtypes and prognosis data were collected. The relationship between various factors and their impact on prognosis were analyzed. Results: There were 117 patients, including 61 females and 56 males. The male to female ratio was 0.9∶1.0. The age of onset was 24-89 years (median 52 years). Primary sites included head and neck (68 cases), lungs (26 cases), stomach (15 cases), and others (eight cases). Morphologically, 54 cases were type Ⅰ, 62 cases were type Ⅱ, and one case could not be classified. The onco-immunological and morphologic features of the LELC tumors showed a continuous spectrum. Interstitial TILs were noted from focally to diffuse, and the interstitial fibrous tissues were from hardly visible to obvious sclerotic. Formation of lymphoid follicles was seen in 42 patients; obvious fibrosis was seen in 31 cases. Data of peripheral blood lymphocyte subtyping by flow cytometry were available in 73 cases. These data included CD3⁺total T cells, CD3⁺CD4⁺helper T cells, CD3⁺CD8⁺cytotoxic T cells, CD3^-CD56⁺natural killer (NK) cells, CD3^-CD19⁺B cells, CD4⁺CD45RA^-T helper induction subgroup, CD4⁺CD45RA⁺ T suppression induction subgroup, CD4⁺CD45RO⁺memory T cell subgroup, CD45RA⁺CD45RO⁺activated T cell subgroup, CD8⁺CD38⁺activated cytotoxic T cell, and CD25⁺lymphocytes and CD44⁺lymphocyte. The proportion of lymphocytes of each subtype was normal in most patients, but the proportion of CD44⁺lymphocytes in 61 cases (83.6%) was increased; the proportion of T cell suppression induced subgroups was decreased in 53 cases (72.6%). Correlation analysis found a significant correlation between clinical stage and NK cells (P=0.023); tumor histologic type and cytotoxic T cells were significantly positively correlated (P=0.012); while tumor cell morphologic differentiation was significantly related to total T cells (P=0.003) and NK cells (P=0.026); Formation of interstitial lymphoid follicles was positively correlated with memory T cell subsets (P=0.025); Tumor interstitial fibrosis was significantly positively correlated with T suppression-induced subpopulations (P=0.004), and was significantly negatively correlated with total T cells (P=0.023) and with the expression of CD44 adhesion molecules (P=0.003). Survival analysis found that lymphoid follicle formation was a favorable prognostic factor for LELC (P=0.001). Conclusions: The onco-immunological and morphologic features in LELC show a continuous spectrum; the tumor clinicopathological characteristics and onco-immunological morphology are closely related to peripheral blood T lymphocyte subtypes, and the formation of interstitial lymphoid follicles is a favorable prognostic factor for LELC.

[Progress on the effectiveness of the pneumococcal vaccination in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease]

Streptococcus pneumonia is an important pathogen leading to the acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or COPD with pneumonia. Pneumococcal vaccination can reduce the incidence of community-acquired pneumonia, reduce the number of acute exacerbations, and have a significant protective effect on patients with COPD. However, there are still controversies about the timing of vaccination, revaccination, and the selection of vaccine types. This review mainly summarized the related researches and recommendations of pneumococcal vaccination in patients with COPD.

[Characteristics of slow wave activity of sleep electroencephalogram and the changes of slow wave activity after adenotonsillectomy in children with severe obstructive sleep apnea]

Objective: To investigate the characteristics of slow wave activity (SWA) during sleep and the changes of SWA after adenotonsillectomy in children with severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Methods: A total of 24 children with severe OSA, who completed adenotonsillectomy in Sleep Center of Beijing Children's Hospital and 26 control children category matched for age and sex and excluded from OSA were included as subjects from May 2018 to December 2019. The subjects underwent overnight PSG, as well as SWA analysis of sleep electroencephalogram. The differences of PSG indexes and SWA intensity between children with severe OSA and control children, before and after operation in severe OSA children were compared and the correlations between SWA intensity and PSG indexes were analyzed. Results: The age of the children with severe OSA before surgery was (6.1±1.7) years, including 20 males (83.3%), and the interval M(Q₁,Q₃) between surgery and follow-up was 6.3 (5.8, 7.1) months. The age of the control children was (6.2±1.1) years, including 20 males (76.9%). In severe OSA group, the M (Q₁,Q₃) of non-rem sleep stage 1 to total sleep time, obstructive apnea hypopnea index, oxygen desaturation index (ODI) and proportion of oxygen saturation (SpO₂)<90% during night sleep to total sleep time were 6.8% (5.6%, 8.9%), 1.2 (0.4, 2.4) events/h, 2.1 (0.7, 4.3) events/h and 0(0, 0) after surgery, respectively, which were lower than those before surgery [9.1% (7.5%, 16.8%), 21.6 (14.1, 39.5) events/h, 23.1 (10.2, 36.0) events/h and 0.8% (0, 3.9%), respectively], while non-rem sleep stage 3 to total sleep time%, rem sleep stage to total sleep time% and lowest SpO₂ were (24.3±5.7)%, (19.1±3.7)% and 91%(86%, 94%) after surgery, which were higher than those before operation [(19.0±5.3)%, (15.4±3.9)% and 83%(70%, 88%) respectively] (all P values<0.05). The repeated measure ANOVA of SWA intensity in phase N1 showed no interaction between OSA and sleep time course (F=0.02, P=0.997), the main effect of OSA was statistically significant (F=5.12, P=0.040), SWA intensity in children with severe OSA at stage N1 was higher than that of the control group [SWA_{(severe OSA group before surgery-control group)}(95%CI): 0.379,(0.020, 0.739)], while the main effect of sleep time course was not statistically significant (F=1.66, P=0.191). There was no interaction between adenotonsillectomy and sleep time course (F=0.88,P=0.461), the main effect of surgery was statistically significant (F=8.95, P=0.010), SWA intensity of children with severe OSA at N1 stage after surgery was lower than before [SWA_{(after surgery-before surgery)}(95%CI):-0.572(-0.982, -0.162)] and the main effect of sleep time course was statistically significant (F=6.33, P=0.001). The intensity of SWA in the fourth sleep cycle of N1 stage was positively correlated with ODI (r=0.299, P=0.048). Conclusion: The intensity of slow-wave activity at N1 stage is affected by OSA which might be caused by intermittent hypoxia, and adenotonsillectomy significantly reduces SWA intensity at stage N1.

[Molecular epidemiological investigation on Theileria in yellow cattle from Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture of Hunan Province]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the prevalence and genetic variation of Theileria in yellow cattle in Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture of Hunan Province.

METHODS

A total of 184 blood specimens were collected from Fenghuang, Huanyuan and Baojing counties of Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture during the period from August 2018 through August 2019, and were detect using PCR assay with the specific 18S ribosomal rRNA (18S rRNA) gene targeting Theileria. The gene sequences of positive specimens were aligned with the sequences recorded in GenBank, and a phylogenetic tree was created with Plasmodium ovale 18S rRNA as an outgroup.

RESULTS

A total of 143 blood samples were positive for Theileria, with a mean detection rate of 77.7%. Theileria was prevalent in the blood samples from yellow cattle in all three counties, with detection rates of 85.0% in Fenghuang County, 88.3% in Huayuan County and 61.0% in Baojing County, respectively. There was no significant difference in the detection rate of Theileria between Xiangxi yellow cattle and normal yellow cattle (77.2% vs. 79.5%; χ² = 0.08, P > 0.05), while the detection of Theileria was significantly lower in the housed yellow cattle than in free-range cattle (68.9% vs. 89.7%; χ² = 22.36, P < 0.01). A total of 18 PCR positive samples were randomly selected for sequencing and analysis, and all samples showed more than 99.0% homology with T. luwenshuni isolates. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the 18 positive samples were clustered into the same branch with T. luwenshuni, but were far away from other isolates.

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of Theileria is high in yellow cattle from Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture of Hunan Province, and T. luwenshuni may be the dominant parasite species.

[Orbital melanotic neuroectodermal tumor in an infant]

A 3-month-old infant patient presented with a 1-week history of a quickly progressive mass in the left eye. A hard, irregularly shaped tumor was found in the superolateral orbit. B-scan showed an uneven hypoecho and an undefined lesion. On the orbital CT, a soft tissue mass was located around the left zygomatic tubercle, involving part of the bone and lacrimal gland. The left orbital mass was removed under general anesthesia after admission. The histological and immunohistochemical examination revealed it was a melanotic neuroectodermal tumor. The infant patient was followed up for 6 months after the operation, and no recurrence was found. (Chin J Ophthalmol, 2021, 57: 372-374).

Respiratory Aspergillus Colonization Was Associated With Relapse of Acute Exacerbation in Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Analysis of Data From A Retrospective Cohort Study

Background: Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are more susceptible to Aspergillus colonization or infection. Several studies have demonstrated that invasive pulmonary Aspergillosis (IPA) and Aspergillus hypersensitivity (AH) have a detrimental effect on COPD. However, it remains to be clarified whether Aspergillus colonization is associated with acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD). This study aimed to explore the impact of Aspergillus colonization in the lower respiratory tract on AECOPD.

Method: Patients with Aspergillus colonization were identified from a retrospective cohort of hospitalized AECOPD from 2011 to 2016 in eight centers in Shanghai, China. The demographic information, conditions of the stable stage, clinical characteristics during hospitalization, and 1-year follow-up information after discharge were collected and compared to participants without fungi colonization.

Result: Twenty-six hospitalized AECOPD patients with Aspergillus colonization and 72 controls were included in the final analysis after excluding patients with other fungi isolation and matching. The rates of recurrence of acute exacerbation within 90 days and 180 days after discharge in the patients with Aspergillus colonization were both significantly higher than that in the fungi negative patients (90 days: 19.2 vs. 4.2%, p = 0.029; 180 days: 23.1 vs. 4.2%, p = 0.010), and the all-cause mortality within 1 year was also higher (11.5 vs. 0.0%, p = 0.017). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that Aspergillus colonization was an independent risk factor for the recurrence of acute exacerbation within 90 days and 180 days (90 days: OR = 8.661, 95% CI: 1.496-50.159, p = 0.016; 180 days: OR =10.723, 95% CI: 1.936-59.394, p = 0.007).

Conclusion:Aspergillus colonization may predict poor prognosis of AECOPD while leading to an increased risk of recurrent AECOPD in a short period.

[Analysis of early death factors and prognosis of acute promyelocytic leukemia]

目的

总结初诊急性早幼粒细胞白血病（APL）早期死亡患者的临床特征，分析早期死亡的危险因素和直接死亡原因，同时对患者进行生存分析。

方法

回顾性分析2011年1月至2017年12月苏州大学附属第一医院、苏州大学附属第一医院广慈分院、苏州弘慈血液病医院收治的368例初诊APL患者的临床特征，分析早期死亡的独立危险因素，比较出血性早期死亡与非出血性早期死亡患者的临床特征，并对所有APL患者进行生存分析。

结果

368例初诊APL患者中早期死亡31例，早期病死率为8.4%，从诊断至死亡的中位时间为7（0~29）d。比较早期死亡患者与非早期死亡患者的临床特征，应用Logistic回归模型进行多因素分析显示，年龄≥50岁和初诊时WBC≥10×10⁹/L为初诊APL患者发生早期死亡的独立危险因素（P值均<0.01）。31例早期死亡患者中有27例（87.1%）的直接死亡原因为出血，出血是<50岁患者的唯一死亡原因，≥50岁患者的主要死亡原因。比较出血性早期死亡患者与非出血性早期死亡患者的临床特征，提示出血性早期死亡患者的中位年龄和间接胆红素水平较非出血性早期死亡患者低（P<0.05）。所有患者中位随访时间为41.0（0.3~101.4）个月。2年总生存（OS）率为（93.5±1.3）%，5年OS率为（91.0±1.5）%。2年无病生存（DFS）率为（98.8±0.6）%，5年DFS率为（97.1±0.9）%。≥50岁与<50岁患者的2年OS率分别为79.3%和94.2%（P=0.000）；2年DFS率分别为92.3%和98.1%（P=0.023）。高危患者与非高危患者的2年OS率分别为77.3%和96.7%（P=0.000）；2年DFS率分别为94.0%和98.4%（P=0.139）。

结论

年龄≥50岁和WBC≥10×10⁹/L是APL患者早期死亡的独立危险因素；高危和低危APL的早期病死率有差异而DFS率差异无统计学意义。

How Does Diabetes Impair Penile Tissues during Erectile Dysfunction?

BACKGROUND

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a significant but underestimated complication during diabetes mellitus (DM). Currently, few special treatments are available clinically due to the lack of specific therapeutic targets. Genomic analysis can be helpful to find potential targets. In this study, the gene expression under diabetic ED condition was analyzed using a gene array, and the significance of the outcomes was evaluated through clinical data.

METHODS

The expressions of 15923 genes were analyzed using R software. Differential expression genes (DEGs) were identified through the constructed volcano plot. The function enrichment of Gene Ontology (GO) and KEGG was screened with the DAVID online tool. The interaction between these DEGs was revealed through constructing a protein-protein interaction network and the hub genes were uncovered using the STRING and Cytoscape tool. Lastly, the data of diabetic ED patients were applied to verify the bioinformatics findings.

RESULTS

The study showed that 75 genes in the rat penile tissues were upregulated, while 97 genes were downregulated on the diabetic ED condition. These genes were mainly involved in extracellular matrix composition, collagen fibril organization, as well as protein digestion & absorption. Additionally, insulin-related signaling pathways were affected. The clinical analysis indicated that insulin resistance was associated with the diabetic ED severity. Notably, the bioinformatics analysis also suggested that ferroptosis pathway was probably activated under the diabetic ED condition.

CONCLUSION

The impaired protein synthesis induced by deficient insulin signaling is an important cause of the diabetic ED. The improvement of protein synthesis through restoring insulin function may be potentially useful for diabetic ED therapy.

[The CT image features of ethmomaxillary sinus and their significance in endoscopic surgery]

Objective: To investigate the prevalence and radiographic characteristics of ethmomaxillary sinus (EMS) in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) patients by CT scan, as well as their endoscopic surgical significance in antrostomy. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 111 CRS patients who were prepared for surgery in Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery of Peking University People's Hospital from February to December of 2017 was performed. In all CRS patients, 79 patients were bilateral CRS and 32 were unilateral. The patients were divided into two groups according to whether they had history of surgery. Only the sides with CRS were analyzed. There were 98 patients (167 sides) in the non-surgical history group and 13 patients (23 sides) in the surgical history group. The prevalence of EMS in CRS sides in the two groups was counted by analyzing the CT images. The CT image features and anatomical variations associated with EMS in CRS sides in the non-surgical history group were also analyzed. SPSS 22.0 software was used for statistic analysis. Results: The prevalence of EMS in CRS sides was 21.7% (5/23) in the surgical history group and 12.0% (20/167) in the non-surgical history group. No statistically significant difference in the prevalence of EMS was found between the two groups (χ(2)=0.940, P>0.05). The medial-lateral diameters of the EMS ranged from 8.50 to 14.10 mm with an average of (10.38±1.69) mm (Mean±SD). The shape of the bony septum between the EMS and maxillary sinus was divided into three types: convex toward to the EMS (2 sides), convex toward to maxillary sinus (5 sides) and flat (13 sides). The Lund-Mackay (LM) scores of the maxillary sinuses in patients with and without EMS showed no statistically significant difference (1.60±0.50 vs 1.40±0.62, Z=1.285, P>0.05). The EMS obstructed the drainage of maxillary sinus posteriorly, medially and superiorly. All the EMS in diseased sides were dissected endoscopicly to improve drainage. In the non-surgical history group, the EMS coexisting anatomic variations were the Onodi cell (7/20), Haller cell (3/20), concha bullosa (6/20) and maxillary sinus hypoplasia (3/20). Conclusions: There is relatively high prevalence of the EMS in CRS patients. This is adjacent to the orbit, overpneumatizes laterally and obstructs the drainage of the maxillary sinus. Complete dissection of the EMS is helpful to improve the drainage of maxillary sinus.

The role of miR-145 in promoting the fibrosis of pulmonary fibroblasts

The effects of miR-145 (microRNA 145) on M. pneumoniae (MP)-infected MRC-5 (Medical Research Council cell strain 5) cell TGF-β/Smad (transforming growth factor beta/Smad) fibrosis pathway were explored through constructing MP-infected MRC-5 cell models. In addition, the qPCR (quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction) and Western blot were applied to detect the mRNA and protein expressions of miR-145, TGF-β1 (transforming growth factor beta 1), Smad3, Smad4, MMP2 (matrix metalloproteinase 2), FN1 (fibronectin 1), ELN (elastin) and COLI α1 (collagen type I alpha 1) signaling molecules in TGF-β/Smad fibrosis pathway. The results showed that the expression of miR-145 in MRC-5 cells was significantly increased after MP infection. In addition, miR-145 inhibited the fibrosis promoting TGF-β/Smad pathway by targeting Smad3, a key factor in the TGF-β/Smad pathway. It can be concluded that, in the process of MP infection, the expression of miR-145 is stimulated to negatively regulate the fibrosis-promoting pathway of TGF-β/Smad.

[Comparison of clinical efficacy between proximal gastrectomy with double tract reconstruction and total gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y reconstruction for proximal gastric cancer]

Objective: To compare the clinical efficacy of proximal gastrectomy with double tract reconstruction (PG-DT) and total gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y reconstruction (TG-RY) for proximal gastric cancer. Methods: The retrospective study was conducted. Clinicopathological data of 132 patients with proximal gastric cancer confirmed by pathology who underwent PG-DT (n=51) or TG-RY (n=81) by the same surgeon team in Southwest Hospital of Army Military Medical University between January 2006 and December 2016 were collected. Patients with preoperative neoadjuvant therapy, non-R0 resection and non-adenocarcinoma confirmed by pathology were excluded. Observation indicators included intraoperative (operation time and blood loss); postoperative (time to flatus, hospital stay, total complications, metastasis of lymph nodes around distal side of stomach from cases undergoing TG-RY), follow-up (long-term hemoglobin level, incidence of anemia, and survival) parameters. Survival analysis was conducted using the Kaplan-Meier method, and Log-rank test was used to compare survival difference between two groups. Results: No statistically significant differences were found between two groups in the baseline data, including age, gender, BMI, hemoglobin level before operation, postoperative TNM stage, tumor size and histological differentiation between two groups (all P>0.05). There were no significant differences between PG-DT and TG-RY in intraoperative blood loss [200 (200) ml vs. 200 (195) ml, Z=-1.860, P=0.063], time to flatus [(2.7±1.0) days vs. (2.6±1.1) days, t=0.225, P=0.823], postoperative hospital stay [10(3) days vs. 10 (4) days, Z=-0.449, P=0.654] and morbidity of perioperative complications [5.9% (3/51) vs. 8.6% (7/81), χ(2)=0.081, P=0.775]. Compared with the TG-RY group, PG-DT group had longer total operative time [294 (97) minutes vs. 255 (71) minutes, Z=-3.148, P=0.002]. The hemoglobin data of 42 patients with PG-DT and 56 patients with TG-RY were collected 1 year after operation. The incidence of anemia in PG-DT group was lower than that of TG-RY group [64.2%(27/42) vs. 82.1% (46/56), χ(2)=4.072, P=0.045], and PG-DT group had higher level of hemoglobin than TG-RY group [(114.4±16.3) g/L vs. (106.6±15.0) g/L, t=2.435, P=0.017]. There were 4 cases (4/81, 4.9%) with metastasis of lymph nodes around distal side of stomach in TG-RY group. All of these 4 tumors were T4 in depth and were more than 5 cm in diameter. The median follow-up period was 26 (1 to 110) months. One-year, 3-year and 5-year survival rates were 93.2%, 65.3% and 55.0% in PG-DT group, and 85.8%, 63.8% and 47.2% in TG-RY group, respectively without significant difference (χ(2)=0.890, P=0.345). Conclusions: Compared with TG-RY, PG-DT has the same safety and feasibility for proximal gastric cancer. Although the operative time is a little longer than TG-RY, PG-DT has advantages in improving the postoperative hemoglobin level.

[Clinical analysis of 22 cases of syndrome caused by acute poisoning]

Objective: To analyze the clinical characteristics, treatment and prognosis of rhabdomyolysis (RM) caused by acute poisoning.Summarize the clinical characteristics and treatment experience, pay attention to the complications and improve the quality of rescue. Methods: We collecte and summarize the clinical data, treatment and prognosis of 22 cases of RM caused by acute poisoning. Results: We found that 21 patients (95.5%) had muscle damage, 13(59.1%) with coma, 8(36.4%) with brown, tea or even soy sauce urine, 6(27.3%) had acute renal injury (AKI), and 4(18.2%) had multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS). After the treatment, 21 cases (95.5%) got better, and one case were discharged. All the patients with AKI were survived, three of them were treated by hemodialysis, and the other recovered gradually after massive fluid replacement. Conclusion: Acute poisoning combined with RM is not uncommon in clinic. We should pay attention to examination of serum enzymes and other indicators, observe the clinical symptoms and make early diagnosis. The key to diagnosis and treatment is early fluid resuscitation, comprehensive treatment, blood purification and maintain the stability of water and electrolyte.

Study on the preparation of granular alum sludge adsorbent for phosphorus removal

Alum sludge is the sludge discharged from a sedimentation tank in a drinking water treatment plant when polymerized with poly-aluminum chloride (PAC). In this paper, granular alum sludge adsorbent (GASA) was manufactured using powdery alum sludge (PAS) as the raw material and methods such as gluing and pore-forming. The effects of different binders, pore-forming agents, roasting temperatures, and roasting times on the formation of GASA and its dephosphorization performance were investigated. Results showed that the optimum binder was AlCl₃ at a mass ratio of 8%, and the best pore-forming agent was starch at a 4% dosage ratio. Meanwhile, the optimum roasting temperature and time were 500 °C and 2 hours, respectively. The specific surface area of GASA was 23.124 m²/g. Scanning electron microscopy suggested that GASA's surface became rough, particles became tight, and average pore size increased, with additional pore channels. P adsorption by GASA reached 0.90 mg/g. The effluent phosphorus concentration of actual tail water decreased to 0.49 mg/L and the removal rate reached 73.5% when the GASA dosage was 20 g/L. The findings of this study are important for the further development of a low-cost adsorbent material for P removal in the future.

Biodegradation of polyvinyl alcohol by different dominant degrading bacterial strains in a baffled anaerobic bioreactor

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is the main pollutant in printing and dyeing wastewaters. This pollutant exhibits great demand, poor biodegradability and refractory degradation. In this study, PVA wastewater treatment experiments were conducted in a stably operating baffled anaerobic bioreactor (ABR) by using simulated PVA wastewater. The PVA degradation pathway and mechanism of the mixed dominant PVA-degrading bacterial strains were identified through the analysis of their degradation products. From the results, we inferred that PVA was degraded in a stepwise process under the synergistic action of different extracellular and intracellular enzymes produced by the mixed dominant PVA-degrading bacterial strains. In this process, PVA was first degraded into ketones, fatty acids and alcohols. It was then regenerated into acetic acid, hydrogen and carbon dioxide. Finally, these substances could be further utilized by methanogens. PVA was thus degraded completely. This study may serve as a reference for future works on the degradation of PVA in the ecological environment. It may also guide the sustainable development of PVA.

[Experimental study of silybin-phospholipid complex intervention on amiodarone-induced fatty liver in mice]

Objective: To probe into the mechanism and interventional effects of silybin-phospholipid complex on amiodarone-induced steatosis in mice. Methods: Eight-week-old male C57BL/6 mice were divided into three groups (5 mice in each group): a control group (WT) with normal diet, a model group with amiodarone 150mg/kg/d by oral gavage (AM), and an intervention group on amiodarone 150mg/kg/d combined with silybin-phospholipid complex(AM+SILIPHOS. All mice were fed their assigned diet for one week. Then, one week later, serum alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, triglyceride, total cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein were detected of each group. A liver pathological change was observed by oil red O and H&E staining. Ultrastructural pathological changes of hepatocytes were observed to evaluate the intervention effect by transmission electron microscopy. RT-q PCR was used to detect the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha and its regulated lipid metabolism genes CPTI, CPTII, Acot1, Acot2, ACOX, Cyp4a10 and Cyp4a14 in liver tissues. Intra-group comparison was done by paired t-test. One-way ANOVA was used for comparison between groups and semi-quantitative data were tested using Mann-Whitney U test. Results: Oil Red O and H&E staining results of liver tissue in the intervention group showed that intrahepatic steatosis was significantly reduced when compared to model group. Transmission electron microscopy showed that the model group had pyknotic nuclei, mitochondrial swelling, structural damage, and lysosomal degradation whereas the intervention group had hepatic nucleus without pyknosis, reduced mitochondrial swelling and slight structural damage than that of model group. RT-q PCR results showed that the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha, CPTI, CPTII, Acot1, Acot2, ACOX, Cyp4a10 and Cyp4a14 were increased in the model group but the expression of CPTI, Cyp4a14, Acot1 and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha were decreased in the intervention group (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Silybin-phospholipid complex can alleviate amiodarone-induced steatosis, and its mechanism may play a role in protecting mitochondrial function and regulating fatty acid metabolism. Thus, silybin-phospholipid complex has potential intervention effect on amiodarone-induced fatty liver.

Hydrogen sulfide primes diabetic wound to close through inhibition of NETosis

Diabetes-induced neutrophil NETosis impairs wound healing through neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). Reactive oxygen species (ROS)-triggered activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) ERK1/2 and p38 is involved in NETosis. Hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), an endogenous signaling molecule, accelerates diabetic wound healing (DWH), and inhibits ROS production, ERK1/2 and p38 activation, while its level is decreased in diabetes. However, it remains unknown whether H₂S could accelerate DWH through inhibition of NETosis, and whether this inhibitory effect was associated with blockage of ROS-induced ERK1/2 and p38 activation. In order to solve these problems, serum NETs content was measured in diabetic foot patients and healthy individuals. Wound was created in dorsal skin of LepR^db/db and control mice and NETs content in wound tissues was tested. An in vitro NETosis model was induced by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) in isolated neutrophils. Effects of H₂S in form of Na₂S on skin wound healing and NETosis were investigated both in vivo and in vitro. It was found that NETs level was highly increased in diabetic foot patients. Comparing with LepR^m+/db mice, DWH was delayed in LepR^db/db mice, accompanied with high NETs level. In PMA-induced NETosis model, peptidylarginine deiminase (PAD)-4 and citrullinated histone H₃, as well as NETs components dsDNA framework, myeloperoxidase and neutrophil elastase, were significantly increased. PMA-induced neutrophil NETosis and NETs formation were abolished by treatment with H₂S. The delayed DWH of diabetic mice was partially restored by intraperitoneal injection of H₂S, meanwhile, the highly expressed NETosis and NETs release were also down-regulated. The treatment with H₂S not only attenuated ROS production but also abolished MAPK ERK1/2 and p38 activation. Like the effects of H₂S, inhibition of MAPK ERK1/2 or p38 could decrease NETs release. These findings suggests that H₂S attenuates NETosis and primes diabetic wound to heal through blockage of ROS-mediated MAPK ERK1/2 and p38 activation.

[Assessing the consistency of methods to measure travel behavior related to exposure to air pollution]

Objective: To compare diary-reported trips and Global Positioning System (GPS) recording trips and identify the reasons for the discrepancies between two methods. Methods: The survey was conducted in Jiangning district in Nanjing city during July to September and November to December, 2015. Both the diary records and GPS method were used to investigate the travel behavior of 33 retired adults for 5 consecutive days. The GPS traces were display in Google Earth and then split into trips to compare with the diary records according to time and location. χ(2) test was used to analyze the influence of trip characteristics on misreporting rates of each method. Results: A total of 1 087 trips in the survey can be compared between the diary (n=909) and the GPS method (n=912). 7.3% (79/1 087) of the trips were only recorded by GPS method, and 11.8% (128/1 087) were only reported in the diary. Of the remaining 880 trips recorded by the both methods, 86.7% (763/880) matched each other, while 13.3% (117/880) did not. For the matched trips, the difference between the trip durations recorded by diary and GPS method was 2.0 (quartile was 6.0) minutes and the diary method overestimated about 25.0% trip durations when compared with the GPS method. The accuracy rates were 84.8%(903/1 065) and 86.9%(925/1 065) for diary and GPS method, respectively. Both methods were more likely to misreport the trip under 5 minutes. The misreporting rates of diary method for trips under 5 minutes were 6.8 times higher than trips over 30 minutes (21.7% vs 3.2%). The reporting accuracy was also significantly different among trips by different travel mode (P<0.05) for both methods, diary method had the lowest accuracy in reporting vehicles recorders (69.3%, 133/192), while GPS method was more accuracy in both biking (91.9%, 136/148) and vehicles recorders(89.6%, 172/192). The main reasons for misreporting by diary method were forgetting or unwilling to record and failing to record trips according to travel mode, while forgetting to carry GPS device, bad GPS signal and failing to locate the position were the main reasons for misreporting by GPS method. Conclusion: The majority of the trips reported in diary and GPS method are well consistent with each other. Both of the methods should be used simultaneously in the survey of time-activity pattern to improve the data quality.

[An analysis of the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of acute poisoning patients in a general hospital]

Objective: To analyze the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of acute poisoning patients in a general hospital, then to provide a reference for the prevention and treatment of acute poisoning in the future. Methods: A retrospective analysis was made on the clinical data of 660 patients with acute poisoning admitted in emergency medical center of the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University from July 2009 to May 2015. Results: More men than women in 660 cases with acute poisoning(the ratio of male to female was 1.36∶1) ; ≥30 years old was the high incidence age (78.79%) ; The top occupation was farmers (39.70%) ; Most were life poisoning (88.18%) , suicide was the main reason (62.42%) especially happened in women, and the main cause of suicide was family conflicts; Toxic species dominated by pesticide (67.58%) , most were severe poisoning (81.82%) ; The top two pesticide poisoning were organic phosphorus and paraquat, and the proportion of blood purification in paraquat was significantly higher (χ²=105.21, P=0.00) ; There were 212 cases with organ dysfunction, main were pesticide poisoning patients, and the proportionof organ dysfunction in paraquat was significantly higher than the rest allpesticide poisoning (χ²=45.09, P=0.00) ; The general fatal rate of acute poisoning was 2.27%, and the proportion in paraquat poisoning was .higher than the rest pesticide poisoning who were death and give up when discharged (χ²=56.83, P=0.00) . Conclusion: The focus of acute poisoning in the general hospital is still pesticide (especially organic phosphorus and paraquat) , and most were severe poisoning.

[The validity and reliability of simplified Chinese version of the pediatric sleep questionnaire for screening children with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome in Beijing]

Objective: To evaluate the validity and reliability of the simplified Chinese version of pediatric sleep questionnaire (PSQ) used in screening obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) of children in Beijing. Methods: Children with snoring who presented to the Sleep Center of Beijing Children's Hospital between August 2014 and July 2015 and healthy children were included in the study. All children underwent PSG and then were divided into OSAS group and control group based on the PSG and their guardians were asked to complete the simplified Chinese version of PSQ that was formed by both translation from PSQ and retroversion to PSQ. Structure validity evaluation included confirmatory factor analysis which used Amos structural equation model and exploratory factor analysis which used principal component analysis. Predictive validity were measured with Logistic regression model. Internal reliability and test-retest reliability were evaluated by Cronbach 's alpha coefficient and intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC), respectively. The screening efficiency was evaluated by the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC). Results: The study included 235 children aged 3-16 years old, 145 children of them with the age of (5.8±2.1) in OSAS group and 90 children with the age of (7.7±3.3) in control group. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated most items belonging to individual factors with load coefficient ≥ 0.5. Predictive validity analysis revealed 13 items positively related to the diagnosis of OSAS (all OR>1, all P<0.05). Cronbach's alpha coefficients were respectively 0.703 (overall reliability), 0.767 (breathing factor), 0.849 (sleepiness factor) and 0.689 (behavior factor). The test-retest ICC reliability was 0.986 (PSQ), 0.991 (breathing factor), 0.727 (sleepiness factor), and 0.870 (behavior factor) with P<0.05. In receiver operating characteristic curve, the area under curve of simplified Chinese version PSQ score was 0.922 with P<0.05 and the cutoff value of PSQ score was 7 in 22 items with the sensitivity of 0.776, specificity of 0.867, positive predictive value of 0.868 and negative prediction value of 0.774. Conclusions: The simplified Chinese version of PSQ is suitable to the screen of OSAS for the children in Beijing area with good reliability and validity. It also has acceptable sensitivity and specificity for screening children with OSAS when the cutoff score is 7 points.

[Analyses on relevant factors of the prognosis of elderly patients with acute poisoning]

Objective: To explore the risk factors influencing the prognosis of elderly patients with acute poisoning. Methods: We retrospected 177 elderly patients with Acute Poisoning who were treated in the emergency department of the first affiliated hospital of wenzhou medical university from July 2009 to May 2015. According to the outcome of patients, we distributed the patients to death group (31 cases) and survival group (146 cases) , compared the clinic data and using multivariate analysis with Logistic regression to prognosis factors. Results: There were 177 cases in total, with 146 survivors (82.5%) and 31 deaths (17.5%) . In which 102 cases (57.6%) had chronic underlying diseases. There were 28 cases of pesticide poisoning in the death group, and the fatality rate of pesticide poisoning was 23.5%. The mortality rate was 12.8% in the 60-69 years-old group (11/86) , 20% (13/65) in the 70-79 years-old group, 26.9% (7/26) in the 80-89 years-old group. The most common reason of poisoning was intentional ingestion, with 100 cases (56.5%) . The tract of the poisoning was mainly in digestive system, including 148 cases (83.6%) . The PSS score and APACHE-II score were 2.97±0.18 and 19.8±2.8 in the death group, 2.27±0.81 and 12.8±5.3 in the survival group. Compared with the survival group, poison (pesticides or non) 、poisoning route、cause of poisoning、PSS score、APACHEⅡ score have significant difference in death group (P<0.05) . Poison (pesticides or non) 、PSS score、APACHEⅡ, were the independent risk factors of poor prognosis. Conclusion: Most of the elderly patients with acute poisoning have one or more chronic underlying diseases, the digestive tract ingestion and pesticide poisoning are more common. The fatality rate of the old patients is significantly higher than that of non elderly poisoning. Type of toxications, PSS score and APACHE-II score are the prognostic factors in elderly patients.

[Characteristics of sleep apnea events in non-snoring children]

Objective: To investigate the characteristics of sleep-related respiratory events in normal children and to provide normal polysomnographic parameters for diagnosing sleep-disordered breathing in children. Methods: Normal subjects between 3 and 14 years old were enrolled from 1 July 2014 to 31 December 2015 and the subjects received overnight polysomnography at the sleep center of our hospital. They were children of our hospital employees or were recruited from the communities who did not have sleep and respiratory disorders. The children were divided into preschool group (3-5 years) and school-age group (6-14 years). Apnea index (AI), obstructive apnea index (OAI), central apnea index (CAI), and mixed apnea index (MAI) were compared between the two groups. Data for continuous variables that showed normal distribution were expressed as x ±s. M(P₂₅, P₇₅) were used when data were not normally distributed. Continuous variables that showed normal distribution were compared by using an independent-sample t-test. Wilcoxon-test was performed when data exhibited non-normal distribution. Differences in categorical data were tested with Chi-square test. Pearson correlation test was applied for the correlation analysis. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 115 normal children took part in the study including 40 in preschool group and 75 in school-age group. Children in both groups had a few sleep apnea events, most of which were central apneas, accounting for 80% and 70% of the total respiratory events respectively. Central apnea index in preschool children were significantly higher than that of school-age children (P<0.001), with median of 0.6 times/h and 0.1 times/h, respectively. Median OAI of both groups were 0.0 times/h without significant difference (P=0.748). Obstructive apnea events occurred mainly in the supine position in both groups. Conclusions: Normal children may have a few apnea events in sleep that were predominantly central apnea. CAI of preschool children is significantly higher than that of school-age children. Obstructive sleep apnea is rare in normal children, and sleep apnea occurs mainly in the supine position.

[Evaluation of polysomnographic diagnostic criteria for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome in children]

Objective: To determine the appropriate criteria of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) in children. Method: Children with snoring and healthy children were recruited from October 2014 to September 2015. Subjects were divided into four groups based on polysomnography(PSG). Group 1: children with obstructive apnea hypopnea index(OAHI)≥1 (the OSAS criteria of the International Classification of Sleep Disorders, ICSD) but their AHI≤5 or OAI ≤1 (under the OSAS criteria of AHI>5 or OAI>1 by the American Thoracic Society, ATS); Group 2: children with OAHI<1 (the primary snoring criteria of the ICSD); Group 3: children with AHI>5 or OAI>1; and Group 4: normal children as controls. Sleep disorder scales and polysomnography parameters were compared among the four groups. Results: A total of 1 115 children were included.There were 143, 345, 529 and 98 children in each group. After adjust for age, gender and body mass index(BMI), children in group 1 had higher total sleep disorder scale score (P<0.01), as well as sub-scores for severe snoring (P<0.01), daytime behavior problem (P<0.01) and sleep related nighttime abnormality (P<0.05) compared with normal controls, and they had longer mean and longest duration of obstructive apnea and hypopnea and lower minimum oxygen saturation compared with children with obstructive AHI<1 (all P<0.05 or <0.01). Conclusion: OAHI>1 should be defined as the criteria of OSAS in children.

[The derivation and validation of a scoring system for identifying patients with bronchiectasis at risk of exacerbations]

OBJECTIVE

To create and verify a scoring system for identifying patients with bronchiectasis at risk of exacerbations.

METHODS

Derivation of the scoring system used data from a retrospective cohort study enrolling 228 patients with bronchiectasis. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to identify independent predictors associated with exacerbations. β-coefficients derived from the independent predictors in our logistic regression model were applied to create a scoring system (Total score was 8). The scoring system was then validated in a prospective cohort enrolling 334 patients with bronchiectasis.

RESULTS

The derivation study showed that age ≥ 60 years (OR=2.583, 95%CI: 1.188-5.613), BMI<18.5 kg/m(2) (OR=2.991, 95%CI: 1.112-8.042), high medical research council dyspnea score (OR=7.905, 95%CI: 4.288-8.309), Pseudomonas aeruginosa colonization (OR=3.227, 95%CI: 1.041-9.004), the lobes involved on high-resolution computed tomography≥3 (OR=3.179, 95%CI: 1.449~6.976), prior intensive care unit admissions (OR=2.499, 95%CI: 1.301-4.801), and FEV1<50% predicted(OR=2.497, 95%CI: 1.421-5.080) were the independent predictors associated with exacerbations. The scoring system predicted exacerbations with an area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.79 (95% confidence interval, 0.74-0.84). In the validation cohorts, the total score ranged 0 to 6. There was significant difference in exacerbation frequency and quality of life between patients classified as low(0-2), intermediate(3-4), and high(5-8) risks by the scoring system (P<0.05). A higher score was associated with higher risk of exacerbations and poorer quality of life.

CONCLUSION

Our scoring system was an efficient clinical predictive tool to identify patients with bronchiectasis at risk of exacerbations. It may be useful for early prevention of bronchiectasis exacerbations and for proper management.

[Effect of prostate peripheral zones stromal cells on the proliferation of prostate cells by overexpression of LMO2 gene]

OBJECTIVE

To explore the biological effect of prostate peripheral zones (PZs) stromal cells on the proliferation of prostate cells by overexpression of LMO2 gene.

METHODS

Genes expressional distinction of different prostate stromal cells was screened by gene expression arrays. To validate the microarray data, real time-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), Western blotting analysis were used to check the over expression of LMO2 in PZs cells.To compare the effect of stromal cells which overexpressed LMO2 gene on in vitro proliferation ability of BPH-1 and PC3 cell lines, cell proliferation was measured by CCK-8 and EdU assay. Cytokines chip was used to screen expression of cytokines in WPMY-1-LMO2 conditioned medium. The changes of BPH-1 and PC3 proliferation associated proteins were assessed by Western blotting.

RESULTS

A total of 512 genes were identified as markedly differentially expressed in stromal cells originated from different zones. Among these genes, LMO2 gene was overexpression in peripheral zones stromal cells, and confirmed by RT-PCR and Western blotting. Expression level of LMO2 gene was significantly up-regulated in peripheral zones stromal cells compared with transitional zones stromal cells, increased by 3.36 folds on average (P<0.01). The proliferation of both PC3 and BPH-1 were found increased and STAT3 phosphorylation and CCND1 expression were increased after cultured in conditioned medium from stromal cells which stably expressed LMO2. Cytokines chip found increased FGF-9 and IL-11 expression in the medium supernatant reserved from LMO2-overexpressed stromal cell line.

CONCLUSIONS

Distinct gene expression exists among prostate stromal cells originated from different zones. LMO2 overexpressed stromal cells can induce prostate epithelial cell growth via paracrine of FGF-9, IL-11 or other cytokines.

A new strategy for complete identification of sea buckthorn cultivars by using random amplified polymorphic DNA markers

DNA fingerprinting is both a popular and important technique with several advantages in plant cultivar identification. However, this technique has not been used widely and efficiently in practical plant identification because the analysis and recording of data generated from fingerprinting and genotyping are tedious and difficult. We developed a novel approach known as a cultivar identification diagram (CID) strategy that uses DNA markers to separate plant individuals in a more efficient, practical, and referable manner. A CID was manually constructed and a polymorphic marker was generated from each polymerase chain reaction for sample separation. In this study, 67 important sea buckthorn cultivars cultivated in China were successfully separated with random amplified polymorphic DNA markers using the CID analysis strategy, with only seven 11-nucleotide primers employed. The utilization of the CID of these 67 sea buckthorn cultivars was verified by identifying 2 randomly chosen groups of cultivars among the 67 cultivars. The main advantages of this identification strategy include fewer primers used and separation of all cultivars using the corresponding primers. This sea buckthorn CID was able to separate any sea buckthorn cultivars among the 67 studied, which is useful for sea buckthorn cultivar identification, cultivar-right-protection, and for the sea buckthorn nursery industry in China.

Experimental research on end-to-side anastomosis of peripheral nerves and effect of FK506 on end-to-side anastomosis

OBJECTIVE

To study the effects of end-to-side anastomosis of initially-denatured nerves at different times.

METHOD

60 male Wistar albino rats were used to fabricate animal models for the experiment on end-to-side anastomosis of peripheral nerves and 50 female Wistar albino rats were used to fabricate animal models for the experiment on the effect of FK506 on end-to-side anastomosis. Bilateral common peroneal nerve, tibialis anterior muscle electrophysiological and histological examinations, tibialis anterior muscle wet muscle weight determination, and motor end plate examination were performed 3 months after operation.

RESULTS

All recovery rates of action potential, single muscle contraction force and tetanic contraction force of the FK506 experimental group are significantly higher than those of the control group and the sectional area of muscle fiber is also higher than that of the control group of normal saline.

CONCLUSION

The best time for end-to-side anastomosis of nerves should be controlled within 2 weeks and the effect of end-to-side anastomosis of nerves will gradually become unsatisfactory. FK506 plays a role in promoting functional rehabilitation following nerve end-to-side anastomosis (Tab. 7, Fig. 4, Ref. 31).

Diversity and active mechanism of fengycin-type cyclopeptides from Bacillus subtilis XF-1 against Plasmodiophora brassicae

Bacillus subtilis XF-1, a strain with demonstrated ability to control clubroot disease caused by Plasmodiophora brassicae, was studied to elucidate its mechanism of antifungal activity against P. brassicae. Fengycin-type cyclopeptides (FTCPs), a well-known class of compounds with strong fungitoxic activity, were purified by acid precipitation, methanol extraction, and chromatographic separation. Eight homologs of fengycin, seven homologs of dehydroxyfengycin, and six unknown FTCPs were characterized with LC/ESI-MS, LC/ESI-MS/MS, and NMR. FTCPs (250 microg/ml) were used to treat the resting spores of P. brassicae (10(7)/ml) by detecting leakage of the cytoplasm components and cell destruction. After 12 h treatment, the absorbencies at 260 nm (A(260)) and at 280 nm (A(280)) increased gradually to approaching the maximum of absorbance, accompanying the collapse of P. brassicae resting spores, and nearly no complete cells were observed at 24 h treatment. The results suggested that the cells could be cleaved by the FTCPs of B. subtilis XF-1, and the diversity of FTCPs was mainly attributed to a mechanism of clubroot disease biocontrol.

First Report of Stem and Leaf Anthracnose on Blueberry Caused by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides in China

Blueberry (Vaccinium spp.) is becoming increasingly popular in China as a nutritional berry crop. With the expansion of blueberry production, many diseases have become widespread in different regions of China. In August of 2012, stem and leaf spots symptomatic of anthracnose were sporadically observed on highbush blueberries in a field located in Liaoning, China, where approximately 15% of plants were diseased. Symptoms first appeared as yellow to reddish, irregularly-shaped lesions on leaves and stems. The lesions then expanded, becoming dark brown in the center and surrounded by a reddish halo. Leaf and stem tissues (5 × 5 mm) were cut from the lesion margins and surface-disinfected in 70% ethanol for 30 s, followed by three rinses with sterile water before placing on potato dextrose agar (PDA). Plates were incubated at 28°C. Colonies were initially white, becoming grayish-white to gray with yellow spore masses. Conidia were one-celled, hyaline, and cylindrical with rounded ends, measuring 15.0 to 25.0 × 4.0 to 7.5 μm. No teleomorph was observed. The fungus was tentatively identified as Colletotrichum gloeosporioides (PenZ.) PenZ & Sacc. (teleomorph Glomerella cingulata (Stoneman) Spauld. & H. Schrenk) based on morphological characteristics of the colony and conidia (1). Genomic DNA was extracted from isolate XCG1 and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the ribosomal DNA (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2) was amplified with primer pairs ITS1 and ITS4. BLAST searches showed 99% identity with C. gloeosporioides isolates in GenBank (Accession No. AF272779). The sequence of isolate XCG1 (C. gloeosporioides) was deposited into GenBank (JX878503). Pathogenicity tests were conducted on 2-year-old potted blueberries, cv. Berkeley. Stems and leaves of 10 potted blueberry plants were wounded with a sterilized needle and sprayed with a suspension of 10⁵ conidia per ml of sterilized water. Five healthy potted plants were inoculated with sterilized water as control. Dark brown lesions surrounded by reddish halos developed on all inoculated leaves and stems after 7 days, and the pathogen was reisolated from lesions of 50% of inoculated plants as described above. The colony and conidial morphology were identical to the original isolate XCG1. No symptoms developed on the control plants. The causal agent of anthracnose on blueberry was identified as C. gloeosporioides on the basis of morphological and molecular characteristics, and its pathogenicity was confirmed with Koch's postulates. Worldwide, it has been reported that blueberry anthracnose might be caused by C. acutatum and C. gloeosporioides (2). However, we did not isolate C. acutatum during this study. To our knowledge, this is the first report of stem and leaf anthracnose of blueberry caused by C. gloeosporioides in China. References: (1) J. M. E. Mourde. No 315. CMI Descriptions of Pathogenic Fungi and Bacteria. Kew, Surrey, UK, 1971. (2) N. Verma, et al. Plant Pathol. 55:442, 2006.

Storage Rot of Dragon Fruit Caused by Gilbertella persicaria

In October 2011, a new disease of dragon fruit (Hylocereus costaricensis) was discovered in a fruit market in Yuanjiang, Yunnan Province, China. Small, light brown, water-soaked spots appeared initially and then coalesced, extending to the entire fruit in 6 days. Hyaline hyphae and light brown sporangia were observed over the entire surface of the infected fruit. On potato sucrose agar (PSA) the fungus produced a white, appressed colony that covered a 9-cm diameter petri dish in less than 5 days at 25°C. The sporangiophores were hyaline, light brown to grayish, 44.71 to 143.14 (average = 85.10) μm long, and arose directly from the non-septate substrate hyphae. The sporangia were spherical, single, and terminal and yellow-brown to brown when young turning to dark brown or black at maturity. Both the sporangiophores and sporangia were covered with calcium oxalate crystals. When mounted in a drop of water, the sporangium immediately broke longitudinally into two halves, releasing the spores and exposing a large pyriform columella at the tip of the sporangiophore. The spores were mostly globose to ellipsoid, aseptate, and 5.15 (3.71 to 7.86) × 6.30 (4.08 to 9.19) μm (n = 300). Two to three slender, hyaline appendages were attached to the ends of the spores. The cardinal growth temperatures of the pathogen were 10, 30, and 40°C and it grew faster in the dark than under 12-h alternating light-dark cycles. The fungus was identified as Gilbertella persicaria (1). To confirm the identification, the internal transcribed spacer region of the nuclear rDNA of one isolate was amplified using the fungal primers ITS1 and ITS4. The nucleotide sequence (Accession No. JQ951601) showed 98% homology with G. persicaria in GenBank (HM999958). Pathogenicity tests were carried out on two species of dragon fruit, H. costaricensis and H. undatus, by placing a 6-mm diameter young mycelial PSA agar disc on the surface of an asymptomatic fruit, either unwounded or wounded with a sterile needle. As the control, a plain PSA disc was used. Each inoculated fruit was placed in a moist chamber and incubated at 25°C. Three fruits were used per treatment and the experiment was repeated twice. The fruits rotted in 2 to 3 days, and the disease was especially serious on wounded fruits and on H. costaricensis. The fungus was reisolated from infected fruits. The controls did not show any disease symptoms. Inoculation studies were also made on other fruits but rot was produced only on peach, pear, and wounded tomato. To our knowledge, this is the first record of dragon fruit rot caused by G. persicaria. The fungus had been reported in China but caused no diseases (2). In India, it caused fruit rot of pear, tomato, and peach (3). To minimize the disease, dragon fruit should be stored at low temperature and in uncovered containers. References: (1) G. L. Benny. Mycologia 83:150, 1991. (2) J. Y. Cheng and H. Y. Mei. Acta Phytotax. Sin. 10:105, 1965. (3) M. D. Mehrotra. Mycopath. Mycol. Appl. 29:151, 1966.

First Report of Ralstonia solanacearum Causing Bacterial Wilt of Yacon in China

Yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius) is an important cash crop in Yunnan Province, China. In 2003, yacon was introduced to Yunnan province as a novelty root crop and as an experimental source of natural sugars; now more than 15 provinces cultivate the crop. Yunnan is one of the major yacon producing areas of China, with up to 10,000 ha yielding up to 50,000 t of yacon, which is nearly half of the production in China. In April and May 2010, bacterial wilt of yacon was observed in the fields of Lion Mountain of Wuding County, Yunnan Province, China. In 2011, the disease occurred in approximately 1 ha of yacon, resulting in 10% crop loss in that area. The initial symptoms observed were irregular, black, necrotic lesions on leaf margins. After 4 to 7 days, leaves became totally necrotic, plants wilted, and black stripes were observed on plant stems. Within 2 to 3 weeks, more than 70% of leaves within the crop were wilted. Subsequently, the plants died and stems became brittle. When dead plants were pulled from the soil, tubers were found to have turned black. When diseased stems and/or petioles were cut with a sterile sharp knife or razor blade, bacterial ooze appeared on the cut ends. High populations of morphologically uniform bacteria were isolated from the diseased plants by conventional methods. When cultured on TZC (2,3,5-Triphenylte tetrazolium chloride) agar medium (3), colonies were large, elevated, fluidal, and entirely white with a pale red center. The isolated bacterium was gram-negative, grew aerobically, and did not form endospores. The cells were 0.5 to 0.7 × 1.5 to 2.0 μm and nonencapsulated. Ralstonia solanacearum was identified and confirmed as the pathogen on the basis of morphological and physiological characteristics, pathogenicity test, and 16S rDNA sequence analysis (1,4). The nucleotide sequence is available in GenBank (Accession No. HQ176322.1). The pathogenic strain belonged to race 1 and biovar 3 according to the pathogenicity and carbohydrate utilization tests (2). Koch's postulates were tested in the greenhouse, with 10 plants inoculated per species. Plants were inoculated with 15 μl of cell suspension containing 10⁶ to 10⁷ CFU ml^-1 deposited into the third axilla with a capillary tube. The bacteria could infect tomato, pepper, tobacco, potato, common sage (Salvia dugesii Fernald), and patchouli, and caused typical symptoms of wilt and black lesions, but could not infect leaves of swamp mahogany (Eucalyptus robusta Smith), stramonium (Dature stramonium Datura L.), ginger, or maize. To our knowledge, this is the first report of yacon as a host of R. solanacearum. Since the pathogen has a wide host range, monitoring of the vegetation in and around yacon fields should be implemented as a mandatory management measure to prevent disease spread. References: (1) C. A. Boucher et al. J. Bacteriol. 169:5626, 1987. (2) A. C. Hayward. J. Appl. Bacteriol. 27:265, 1964. (3) A. Kelman. Phytopathology 44:693, 1954. (4) W. G. Weisburg et al. J. Bacteriol. 173:697, 1991.

What happens when the patent ductus arteriosus is treated less aggressively in very low birth weight infants?

OBJECTIVE

It remains unclear whether indomethacin (INDO) and/or surgical ligation (LIGATE) are necessary to improve outcomes in premature infants with a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). We have adopted a conservative approach to PDA management that emphasizes waiting for spontaneous closure unless certain cardiorespiratory distress criteria are met.

STUDY DESIGN

This was a before-after observational study in infants born 501 to 1,500 g in two distinct epochs. Era 1 (January 2005 to December 2007) featured traditional management with INDO and LIGATE used early to close all moderate and large PDAs in infants receiving any respiratory support. Era 2 (January 2008 to June 2009) emphasized modest fluid restriction, watchful waiting and limited INDO and LIGATE to only those infants with large PDAs who met certain cardiorespiratory distress criteria.

RESULT

Era 1 included 139 infants with a PDA, mean (s.d.) gestational age 27.5 (2) weeks; Era 2 72 infants, mean (s.d.) gestational age 27.5 (2) weeks. In Era 2, INDO use significantly decreased (79% of infants to 26%, P<0.001), and 28 day total fluids decreased (140 vs. 130  ml kg(-1) day(-1), P<0.001). LIGATE rate was 45% in Era 1, 33% in Era 2 (P=0.11). There were no significant differences in supplemental oxygen, nasal continuous positive airway pressure, or mechanical ventilation days. There were no significant differences in mortality or individual morbidities. The combined outcome of chronic lung disease (CLD) or mortality after Day 7 significantly increased (Era 1, 40%, Era 2, 54%, P=0.04). More infants were discharged home with a PDA in Era 2, but most resolved spontaneously and the need for closure therapy after discharge from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) did not increase. Multiple regression analysis demonstrated Era 2 management did not predict an increased risk of one or more interlinked morbidities.

CONCLUSION

Tolerance of the PDA with watchful waiting for spontaneous closure, modest fluid reduction, and less INDO use is a reasonable treatment strategy that is not associated with significant changes in NICU mortality or individual morbidities. We did note an increase in the combined outcome of CLD or mortality after Day 7, thus our investigation supports the urgency of a randomized controlled trial comparing traditional PDA management with a true control group similar to our Era 2 management to answer important questions of short and long-term outcomes.

Ent-16β,17-dihydroxy-kauran-19-oic acid, a kaurane diterpene acid from Siegesbeckia pubescens, presents antiplatelet and antithrombotic effects in rats

The antiplatelet and antithrombotic effects of ent-16β,17-dihydroxy-kauran-19-oic acid (DDKA) isolated from Siegesbeckia pubescens were investigated with different methods both in vitro and in vivo. We tested the antithrombotic activity of DDKA in arterio-venous shunt model. The effects of DDKA on adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-, Thrombin-, Arachidonic acid-induced rat platelets aggregation were tested in vitro. We also assessed its bleeding side effect by measuring coagulation parameters after intravenous administration for 5 days and investigated the potential mechanisms underlying such activities. In vivo, DDKA significantly reduced thrombus weight in the model of arterio-venous shunt. Meanwhile, DDKA increased plasma cAMP level determined by radioimmunoassay in the same model. Notably, DDKA prolonged PT and APTT in rats after intravenous administration DDKA for successive 5 days. In vitro, pretreatment with DDKA on washed rat platelets significantly inhibited various agonists stimulated platelet aggregation and caused an increase in cAMP level in platelets activated by ADP. These findings support our hypothesis that DDKA possesses antiplatelet and antithrombotic activities. The mechanisms underlying such activities may involve the anticoagulatory effect and cAMP induction.